5-6:30 pm, Lenfell Hall, Madison CampusSongs and Stories and All That Jazz: A Conversation and Performance with Singers Tomi Lunsford and David Olney, followed by a Barbecue and an Appalachian Gathering (Open Mic Hootenany Free for All) with Olney/Lunsford and Members of The Folk Project

Save the dates – WAMFEST returns to FDU’s Madison campus on Monday, October 28th, Tuesday the 29th, and Wednesday the 30th! This year’s festival will focus on Appalachian heritage and how we can help to preserve and extend both its arts and the environment that gave birth to them.

Confirmed performers include the experimental, socially conscious and incredibly gifted poet C.D. Wright (pictured), former coal miner and iconic old-time banjo playerLee Sexton, the very talented and entrancing country/jazz songbirdTomi Lunsford(also the great niece of influential folklorist and musician Bascom Lamar Lunsford), and Joe Lovett, founder and executive director of Appalachian Mountain Advocates, an exceptional and important organization that works to save Appalachia from mountain-top removal coal mining and other atrocities. Throughout the events, WAMFEST performers and organizers will emphasize and discuss environmental advocacy relating to Appalachia and the Hudson River. As usual, our wonderful Artist-in-Residence Wesley Stace/John Wesley Harding will be hosting the festival. More performers T.B.A.

WAMFEST is free of charge. Non-students are strongly encouraged to attend; tickets will be available soon. Stay tuned for more details.

WAMFEST links

About WAMFest

WAMFest is an annual series of readings, interviews, talks and performances hosted by Fairleigh Dickinson University. It brings successful artists of various art genres to the campus to inspire and inform students and the community. Past guests have included Bruce Springsteen, Robert Pinsky, Roseanne Cash, Eugene Mirman, Jonathan Demme, Talib Kweli, Mark Morris and Neil Gaiman.

All the events, which will be hosted by FDU Creative Writing Professor David Daniel are free. Each will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

We believe it's the most innovative and exciting program around. It certainly rocks.